Undo old Harrington, and do it again?

[BentMetal]

Hi -

I am wondering if anyone has ever undergone surgery a second time in order to acheive an improved result using one of today's newer techniques (Colorado, etc.). My goal is to have a surgeon undo the Harrington, use a newer technique, perhaps straighten the curves more, and also reduce the rib humps by the straigtening and thoracoplasty. Maybe this would make my spine straighter, reduce the humps and reduce the pain I have in both humps.

I am a 41 y/o male and underwent surgery using the Harrington rod technique when I was 17. Prior to the surgery, I had a 56 degree upper and 44 degree lower curve. The Harrington surgery corrected the curves down to somethng less, but not sure what the current curves are. I was also left with a moderate hump on the upper curve, and a smaller one on the lower curve. I would like to improve where it left off, but I'm not sure if the fusion I had done will prevent further straightening. I'm guessing I can probably do the osteotomy and thoracoplasty, but not sure about futher straightening.

I appreciate anyone's thoughts or experiences on this.

[Diana Black]

I am about the same age as you and had first-time surgery last year. I really regret it - I have replaced prominence on my back with a twisted torso giving me prominent ribs at the front and i look just as bad from the side. Even though techniques have improved for teenagers, once you are older what they can do is very limited. If I were you, I'd be grateful for what I'd got!